Kurokanojo:  A Girlfriend in Black
by MoonSpider95
Summary: OC/Modern day story. A spiteful demon takes the form of a college student's girlfriend so he can exact a certain revenge on a city's company.
1. Girlfriend in Black

**A/N: My idea for a modern-day Black Butler. But with a chick demon. So basically it's a completely new story, but the root elements are kept the same, and the are some references to Black Butler in later chapters.**

**I only have 3 chapters planned out, and to be honest that's about how far I expect this to go.**

**I do not own Black Butler, but this may be so different I might not even need a disclaimer...**

* * *

><p>"This is gonna be great, man! You <em>have<em> to be there!" A college freshman with short blonde hair in jeans and a football jersey begged his friend sitting on the bed of his dorm. "_Scarred Surface_ is supposed to be the most horrific movie of the decade and I snagged first screening tickets, and you're wasting it inside studying!"

A man with black hair at the age of eighteen peered up from his textbook, placed down a mathematical compass, and responded in near-monotone. "Oh no. A mindless sex-and-gore film shall go unwatched until release date. The world is truly ending."

His friend gave him a look that read, _Seriously?_

The brunette boy continued. "Zach, you have a ticket. Just go watch without me. I'll catch a movie with you some other time."

Zach sat down beside his friend, putting a caring arm around his shoulder. "You used to be more psyched about these kinds of things than me. What happened to you?"

The studious boy rolled his eyes and walked away. "How about I became more responsible? That I actually study my work every now and then?"

The blonde shook his head and followed his friend, circling around him, seemingly depressed. "It's more than that, Austin. You almost never leave your room. When you do, you're distant. You can't seem to focus on anything in real life, man!" His face began to fill with anger. "I don't know how Christina can stand you!"

Zach stormed out the door, looking back with a worried glimmer at his friend who was now back to his studies, blatantly ignoring him, before leaving.

Austin was dressed in dark blue jeans and a black shirt, running fingers through his hair in frustration. In a search for his compass, he looked to the side to be greeted by female legs propped on his desk. A girl his age sat by his work, only smirking at the scene she had been witnessing.

* * *

><p>The teacher passed back the midterm exams. Austin's heart held its pulse as his paper came back and was marked as the highest in the classroom. Pride filled his chest as his teacher spouted off a meaningless test-aftermath lecture to his pupils; Austin was barely paying attention.<p>

The midterm was marked one hundred seventy-three out of one hundred seventy-three when there were in fact one hundred eighty-five questions. That could only mean the instructor used his paper as a guideline to curve everyone's scores. The fact remained that he had incorrectly answered twelve responses. That couldn't happen for the final.

Austin fumbled from his final class to for the day and rushed to his room. Many people greeted him, but he had to retain focus. The woman from earlier pulled his collar lightly, causing the boy to spring backwards as the cloth began to slightly rip. The woman remained still as if the ordeal had been a light breeze. She handed him a cup of coffee. "Not that you aren't jittery enough, but you were best in class. You deserve a drink."

As Austin's eyes dashed to the bystanders watching, he quickly got up and took Christina around the waist. She shifted uncomfortably, signaling hatred through her eyes, but settled and tossed the coffee to the side. Austin pulled her away and whispered harshly in her ear, "Normally you're barely around, and now you trip me to the ground?"

She grinned devilishly. "I like to mix things up."

Christina pulled Austin down to a bench, almost having to force him to sit. "Austin Meyers. Born October 3rd, 1992."

He rolled his eyes at her, annoyed. She licked her lips and continued. "You should have died by now, you know. We have a contract, but for what? Is getting into that company really that important to you?"

Austin stood and wandered away from her. Christina's smirk disappeared. She circled around him, eyeing her prey. "I doubt you would need my kind of help."

He shook his head solemnly. "Would I sacrifice my soul if I didn't?" He walked her back to his dorm, rushing to reach the medicine cabinet. Two white pills fell from a bottle as he caught them in his hand and swallowed them both dry. "You're mine until the day I get what I want and you devour my soul afterwards, I know the deal!"

His rise in anger excited Christina to where her eyes began to glow an eerie green. :So confident, so vengeful. Humor as well. You will make a fine meal." She began to circle him once again. "You call upon a demon to do your bidding, yet you brand her with the feminine name of Christ."

Austin chuckled. "I need my fun as well." He looked her up and down; his demonic servant was clad in typical gothic attire: a black corset top which flattered her complete with a matching skirt and tight, black boots to extenuate her legs. A pentagram was adorned around her neck, laying simply about her chest; had she disguised her form as anything but this goth girl she would seem out of place given her personality, and Christina adored the irony of no one seeing what she advertised around her neck in full view – her very nature.

Christina laid back in an overstuffed chair across from Austin's bed. He glanced down to her and lowered himself by her ear. "My fun is watching a demon squirm."

She nearly shot up, but was blocked by an invasion of personal space. He smiled to her warmly. "I love seeing how uncomfortable you are in this form."

Christina remained speechless, taking a couple of steps back. He continued, "Are you sure you want to continue the girlfriend façade?" Austin's eyes ran to the windows.

"I am bound by contract to serve my master." Her voice began to shake though she stood her ground. "I shall take this role for as long as you command me."

He placed an arm beside her head and leaned in using the wall for support. Something in Christina's stomach upset her, something that created a deep knot, but soon the uncertainty morphed into anger. Her eyes grew that deep, eerie green as shadows and black feathers enveloped the room. The dormitory was no more and the two stood in nothingness. Winds forced into the condemned soul of a boy though he had only taken three steps back. "You are my meal! You do not direct me nor do you address me in that manner!"

Austin swallowed hard but remained calm. He did not say a word. Soon the room returned to normal. Christina still burned with hatred in her eyes but no communication passed her lips. The door swung open and a sickeningly pleasant girl dressed in pink bounded inside. By instinct, Meyers spun Christina and held her in his arms. It was all she could do to remain still. The intruder took two steps in before apologizing. "Oh, am I interrupting?"

Austin let Christina fall onto the couch. She did not attempt to sit. "What is it, Jessica?"

Jessica pulled Christina by the arm, moving her towards the door. The oter girls and I wanted to take her shopping. All she wears is black. It's rather drab."

Austin raised an eyebrow at her. Jessica and her friends were like what cheerleaders were to high school – good for a bang, but snobby and unintelligent. Why would she want to take his servant anywhere? Christina shot them both a warning glance, but it went unnoticed. Her master still seemed confused, but he waved the girls off in any case. The energetic girl squealed and pulled the now-depressed demon with her.

_I swear. I will enjoy every moment of your soul within me._


	2. Melting Pot

A young girl about the age of fourteen locked herself away in her bedroom with the hopes of never coming out again. Her father was drunk, which could only mean that she would keep to herself as a defense. Not one tear was shed, though – she had become all too familiar with what has become routine since her mother's passing. She opened her laptop to search the internet aimlessly. She wasted a few hours looking at anime specifically. That and comic books, but none of those superhero messes either. Real graphic classics are what she was looking for. Something to stimulate her mind and senses in a way that ordinary words on a page could never achieve.

Death fascinated her to no end, looking at everyone's perception of it. Her favorite was the story of a woman whose skin melted away as she became the next grim reaper and collected souls for the good of order and peace throughout the world. It made so much sense to her. It seemed like such a fascinating life. Nothing ever happened to her. Nothing she would ever deem exciting in any case. She was bored.

Unwittingly, one simple web search was all it took.

A digital clock at her bedside glowed 12:00. As the stroke of midnight came to pass, a blood red background filled the screen with what seemed to be an archaic heart with devilish wings in the very center. The image seemed to almost glow as the young girl stared deeper. A small list of instructions flowed below the icon. A title floated above.

"**How to Become a Grim Reaper"**

_It won't work,_ she reasoned. _But I don't see why I can't try it._

* * *

><p>Christina fumbled a graduation cap around by her fingers, waiting for Austin to get off of the computer. "You know, graduation day is just next week. All those AP classes paid off, you earned your degree in a year flat. Someone would think you'd be a little excited." She snapped her wrist, sending the cap flying to the head of her master, landing perfectly on the top in a way that was not crooked nor positioned in a way that messed up his hair. No effort necessary.<p>

He yelled back, "I still need to get through finals! God, I need to take down _Phantom Corp_. from the inside! I need to meet their standards!"

The demon rolled her eyes. "Pfft, you don't need to stress yourself. Lots of lowlifes who don't deserve it always get good, high-paying jobs where ever they want to work. You fit the bill."

He glared at her. "Stop talking." She could not disobey. Trying was pointless. They spent the rest of the evening in utter silence. That is, until Austin got a phone call. He grimaced at the name, not wanting her company in the middle of his work, but answered at any rate. Christina raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Hello, Angelica." He answered, already bored.

"Hey, Austin! Thought I'd send you my best wishes wish you finishing college already. I mean, you're a freshman! Good Lord! And for the last time, call me Angel!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I study. And not likely."

On the other end, the girl coiled the phone, worried, reminded of his endless efforts. "So, I figured I'd come down and spend your special day with you."

He smirked. "Angelica, you're 16. I doubt your parents would let you travel cross-country just to see me."

Very matter-of-factly, she replied. "Don't worry about that. They will do whatever I want."

Austin chuckled, "Oh, will they?"

"Yeah, I've been able to do that for some time now."

He caved. "Alright, Angelica – oh, I mean _Angel_ – if you can manage that I'll be happy to show you around. But you're still going to have a couple weeks left of high school, so you stay for one maybe two days and that's it! You hear?"

There was a brief pause. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be there." She hung it. This struck him as odd, there wasn't even a goodbye. She was the one so energetic and excited to call him and visit him. Now, he could tell something was bothering her. Was something happening at her school?

Christina was now mere centimeters away from her master, making him fall out of his chair. He glared at her, and she only sent a smirk in return. Austin steamed. "Serious invasion of personal space."

"I like to mix things up." He sat back in his chair, and she continued. "Who was that?"

"An old friend of mine; her name is Angelica Tepes – used to live right down the street from me."

Christina rustled through a potato chip bag. "Ah, Tepes. Any relation to old Vladimir?" Austin caught on immediately. Vladimir Tepes. Vlad the Impaler. Oh, how very clever.

"No," he retorted. "No relation. She's _just_ an old friend. She's a couple years younger, but we're cool. Though, she always looked somewhat older. And I thought your kind don't eat anything but souls!"

Christina looked up from the bag. "I don't … I'm just surprised how many randomly cut fried potato slices actually resemble something. This one looks like a monkey."

Austin sat there stone-faced, then in moments gave in and began laughing. Christina only smirked and approached him. "Joking aside, I'm glad that some people from your old life are still around to comfort you when you won't comfort yourself. People from your home."

Austin stayed silent for a moment, pulling her in. "You know, if I didn't know any better I would think you actually cared about how I felt."

She shifted away, straightening her blouse. "Suppose you were to simply sit around, depressed. Your goal would never be accomplished and our contract would never be fulfilled. I'm only doing my job." She turned to leave the room for the night, but looked back to Austin. "Master, maybe you should get some sleep. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow, and you've studied enough."

He nodded his head in reluctant agreement and pulled off his shirt. A glowing green pentagram was visible, stretching around his right shoulder, lighting his back. Otherwise, he stayed in that day's clothes and tucked himself under the blankets of his bed as Christina turned out the lights and left his dorm room.

* * *

><p>"<em>People from your home."<em>

_ Austin stepped lightly through what remained of his home. Blood splattered the walls, mixing with meaningless graffiti. The policemen refused to make eye contact, but they didn't need to. He already knew what awaited him. They tried to block his way, saying that he should not see what was down the hall, but he only pushed them out of the way. There is where the corpses were moved so the detectives could look further into the inflicted wounds. _

_ His lone mother lay next to a five year old sister, torn until only bloodied skeletons remained. Their clothes were stained and torn but still was somewhat discernible from the shredded skin. The only thoughts running through his mind were fleeting questions of what could possibly have done this to such innocent human beings. _

_ The investigators turned, surprised to find him, and attempted to comfort him. There was no need. He did not scream or cry or ask questions. He only turned and walked away._

* * *

><p>Jessica stood across from Katy and Priscilla, pacing back and forth while the two only seemed to pay attention to their finger nails. "How could that goth punk Christina ever land a man like Austin?" she raved. "I mean, he's a lonely, geeky guy. He probably spends his Saturday nights studying or playing World of Warcraft, for crying out loud!" She took a deep breath and continued. "Our entire day with that witch and we still have nothing to show for it."<p>

She turned to her _friends_, the both of them just now looking up to her. "I _need_ to find out where this girl came from! We were all in our high school Journalism teams! We should be able to dig up something!"

Katy raised two fingers, volunteering. "My father is the superintendent of the university. I should be able to dig through some records no problem."

"I hear she _lives_ with Meyers. I'll go through her things and see if that won't pull up anything." Pricilla added. "I never fail."

* * *

><p>Despite her nurtured past, Pricilla stayed true to her commitment and wandered through the dark to find Austin Meyer's dorm room. True, if the authorities caught her it could mean expulsion from the academy, but what was life without a little danger? Having found dormitory, the girl used a less-subtle approach and used a mini curling iron to heat the lock to where it would break, the gears slightly melted, and used her gloves to open the main door. She stepped lightly through the apartment-like complex, finding her way to the main bedroom. To her surprise, it was the <em>only<em> bedroom. She paused hearing Austin stir in the night, her chest feeling nervous and tight for a reason she could not understand.

The "witch" was nowhere in sight. She had no bedroom. Further searching Austin's drawers, she had no personal items stored away. She had no clothes there. No sign of her existence. Yet, through previous research by the obsessed teens, Christina never left either. The breath in young Pricilla turned cold deep within her throat. In a panic, she left the bedroom. Green eyes glowed behind her.

Suddenly, everything seemed distorted. It became hard to breath, and Pricilla was trapped in darkness. She stumbled over a fallen book and air she didn't know she was holding was forced out of her. A small breeze came from nowhere. She heard a hiss behind her. The girl forced herself back onto her feet, stumbling hopelessly in blindness. She fumbled the locked which she knew she melted but couldn't care less of at the moment. She only wanted to be free. Pricilla tried to scream, but only more pure air escaped her.

As the girl left, the dorm's light flicked on. The girlfriend in question stared back at the intruder. After a moment, she closed the door behind her, the lock in perfect condition as it left her fingers.


	3. Festivities

Christina glared at a sign as the numerous college students readied an outdoor stage like busy ants tending to their colony. The sign read _Fisherman's Warf Music Festival – All Artists Welcome_, a concept the girl simply couldn't understand. Her master had for some reason unknown to her volunteered for the event. Building the set, a wooden plank swung low and Christina caught it above Austin's head without giving it a thought. He turned to her in honest surprise, but she looked to him with nothing but contempt. "Austin … what is the meaning of this?"

"Meaning of what?" he asked as he walked away with a smug grin.

She followed, hating being made a fool of. "Volunteering. First you never leave your room except to go to class, now you are lowering yourself to manual labor. Why?" All this time the demon had pegged him for nothing but a desperate kid, and that still rang true to her, but secret plotting was one thing she could not stand.

All Austin offered was, "Can't a guy help out in his community?"

Christina gave a cute pout which she knew etched into his heart, so he had to say _something_. He continued, "Look, you'll enjoy it! You're … what? 200, 300 years old? Older? Nothing like modern music to help you unwind!" He threw his hands up for emphasis, but it only made him look like a goof if anything.

The girl let out her breath slowly, annoyed that she would apparently get nothing out of him. "What's with this festival, anyhow? Why's it called 'Fisherman's Warf'?"

He grinned. "Sit."

She did as was commanded, resting on a pile of lumber. Austin sat on a beam opposite her. "Everyone knows New York has a huge dock people use to import and export goods. But back when this area was first founded, there was an accident on the seas. A fisherman knew he had his family waiting for him at home, but he saw something out in the ocean. People say that maybe it was a mermaid. Maybe it was a ghost. Maybe it was the biggest catch he had ever seen in months. Whatever it was, he went out to look for it, and was dragged down to the bottom with it."

The demon rolled her eyes. "And he was never seen again?"

"No. He was seen again. Later, once at his house by his family. After that, ever year around this time – which is why the festival was created."

Her mouth dropped. "So…your county created this festival to celebrate a man's death?"

Austin quickly replied, "No, no, no, it's just a tourist trap. Brings some cash and attention in." He stood and started to walk, and then he turned to see her still sitting. "You can get up now." With the weight of the command off of her consciousness, she followed.

A tall man in a tan suit with greyed haired approached them. He met their eyes as an old high school friend would. "Hello, Meyers!" he greeted. "How is the production coming?"

"Just find, Mr. Adder." The college student shook the man's hand. As Adder's curiosity led him to glace at the Goth girl to his right, Austin introduce them. "Oh, and this is my girlfriend, Christina Milano."

She plastered a smile on her face. "How do you do?" was her traditional response, as seen on television while she had spent almost a year cramped in a study room with Austin. She shook his hand for a polite effect.

The man did not seem to notice how formal she was being, however. "Oh, fine as well. I'm Marcus Adder, the official organizing the festival. You may also know me as one of the superiors at Phantom Company."

Christina's eyes widened before it melted into a knowing smirk. _That conniving little – _

Austin broke her line of thought. "It's nice just to be here on the project, sir. Who wouldn't want to work on a site with such an _interesting_ legend?"

The official laughed and turned away. "Good day, Meyers." He walked, to where the two has no idea. It irritated Austin to no end. Why did he just laugh like that? Was there something he wasn't being told?

He stared threateningly towards his connection, interrupted by a terrified scream. The team walked on stage, Christina still more bored than anything. As it turned out, a production light fell, nearly crushing one of the stage hands. She would have been trapped under the metal weight if not for the caviler Austin Meyers helping her out of it. This disgusted her. Did her master _always_ need to appear to be the hero? Did he always need to be perfect? He was not perfect when she met him, and she agreed to service him all the same.

He lifted her from the wooden floorboards, and she met his eyes immediately, staring into them as if he were a celebrity - no, a _God_ –unable to speak as she looked at him. He always had a way of making girls fall to his feet. He asked her, "What happened?"

She balanced herself, speech still stifled by the sight of him. "I-it was just the lights. A lot of technical malfunctions have been happening lately. Last year didn't bring in much money, so the funding was cut."

Austin nodded. "Be careful, then."

He walked back to his girlfriend, a sense of pride washing over him. Christina made her views clear. "Master, I just don't like how things are around here. Something just seems off to me. It's like an extra sense I have."

He looked to her with curiosity. "Then, we wait until nightfall. A stakeout."

She raised an eyebrow to him. "Not to question you, but why nightfall? There is no evidence of anything thus far. Why would anything happen at night?"

Meyers turned his back to her, picking up a hammer to continue his duties and drive a nail again and again into a loosened support beam. "My family was murdered at night. I contacted you at night. Should we not follow the pattern?"

* * *

><p>Hours past while waiting on a stakeout. Christina had become ever annoyed, not to mention embarrassed, that he actually took her meaningless comment to heart. She admitted to herself that before she was <em>maybe<em> a little taken aback by the way that girl melted in his arms. There was something wrong with the lighting-girl, not the festival. Still, Meyers happily snacked on a Snickers bar, as if they were at a picnic. Though it did not bother the demon even slightly, it was cold outside as well. She exclaimed, "Can we just go back home already? You were right, I was wrong, ok?"

He smiled to her. "Good to know. But there is another reason why I wanted to stay outside this late."

She cringed at his secrecy. "And that would be?"

"This." As if on cue, a motorcycle drove up the lane near the stage. There was a man not much older than Austin at the wheel. He removed his helmet to reveal flaming red hair. "Hey, Meyers! Long time, no see."

Christina lost it. "Ok, now _what _is _this_? I'm supposed to be helping you out and you never say _anything_ that you are planning! Well, to hell with you! Who is this guy and why is he here?"

The man looked her up and down. "Meyers and I go way back. High school. In that time, I've become a professional paranormal investigator!"

The demon felt as though she had entered the Twilight Zone. "Paranormal…Investigator? You?"

"Yup!" he answered proudly. "Ghosts, banshees, aliens – if something isn't human, I know right away!"

She smirked. "So, uh, this about the whole ghostly legend thing?"

He put his arm around Austin's shoulder. "Yeah! Name's Ryan, by the way. Ryan Evers."

Christina ignored his introduction. "And you're the reason Austin wanted to have this stakeout. He knew you would take until nightfall to come here, and –"

" – and I totally just used that to humor you when you said something was up." He smiled to her, but she returned with a death glare.

Chris broke in. "Ah, perfect chemistry. I can totally see you two getting married in a couple years. "

Christina's stomach was starting to turn. "You know what? You all want to waste your time investigating a tourist trap. Fine. But you can't make me go with you."

Austin looked to her. "This is an order. Come with us."

Ryan was really confused by this, but Christina was steaming the whole time. _Worst. Master. Ever._

Ryan set up hidden cameras at numerous locations over the stage, surrounding houses, and the docks. He gave Austin and Christina voice recorders to catch ghostly messages. She was rolling her eyes the entire time. She said to Austin, "You can't possibly believe in this."

He shrugged. "This is more about me hanging out with an old friend. And why shouldn't I believe? A supernatural being is right here before us!"

That comment sent Ryan on a search for weird electromagnetic fluxes, convinced that Austin saw a ghost. Christina would have killed them both on the spot had she not been under contract. Then, another scream was heard. The three ran to the scene, behind the stage with the faulty lighting. What they saw there made even the demon stop in her tracks.

The same girl was being wrestled to the ground by a floating figure covered by a purple cloak. It appeared to be reaching for the girl's neck. Chris, seemingly forgetting all of his training, ran into the scene without coming up with any plan whatsoever. Distracted, the figure released the girl and pounced on top of Chris. Christina and Austin secured the girl. In a panic, she said, "T-t-t-the thing! I-I saw it coming and then I was just tackled and it kept trying to bite me!"

The figure knocked out Chris with a poke of his neck, attempting to escape. Austin turned to Christina as the girl ran away without looking back. "This is an order! Take that thing down!"

She smiled. "Yes, my master." Her eyes glowed green as she jumped and landed on the thing's back. Taking a few chains from her outfit, Christina used the links to act as a leash, choking the cloaked figure as it struggled to escape. She could feel the thing trying to throw her off, but Christina threw her adversary against the wood of the stage. The figure could feel its skin burning from friction. Christina pulled the chains back more and was a swift pull away from killing it. Her eyes glowed brighter in a twisted anticipation. With the cloak being within reach, Austin ran onto the stage. He removed the cloak.

"Angel?"


	4. Deception

The cloak revealed a young girl about the age of sixteen. Her hair, an unusual purple cut to her ears, did nothing to conceal her shock. Still sitting, she crept away from Austin. "I-It's not what it looks like!"

Christina looked hungrily to the other woman, her eyes still malevolent. "Shall I finish her, master?"

Meyers shook out of his shock to look to his girlfriend, disgusted. "My orders were to take her down and you've done that." If he could shoot darts by eye contact alone, he would have.

She back away obediently, missing the possibility for homicide; it had been a while.

Angel grabbed her cloak again, this time using it as a cover to protect against the cold. She looked up Austin, sincere regret in her gaze. She opened her mouth to speak and, although nothing came out, it spoke volumes. There, in the open hole, was a pair of fangs piercing through her gums. Austin did not step back. Instead, he reached out his hand to her, sweeping stray hairs back to its path. "What happened to you?"

She stared down to the ground. "We need to talk."

Meyers sat distracted for a moment, remembering his unconscious friend. He look at her with hatred, and she returned in shock, "Oh, oh no, he's still alive! I just … didn't want you guys to see me is all. He got too close." She looked to the girl in black. "Who is she? She's one hell of a fighter."

The demon smiled at that ironic acknowledgment.

He answered for her. "She's my girlfriend, Christina Milano."

As if in a pleasant tea party, Angel smiled to her. "It's nice to meet you."

The demon had her arms folded. "Explanation. Now."

Angel stood up and rested her back against the stage. "I'm a vampire." She looked to the others anticipating their shock. Christina, for reasons unknown to her, did not appear taken aback at all. Austin only looked mildly surprised. Apparently he pause was unneeded. Embarrassed, she continued. "I've been a vampire for a while now, actually. For over four hundred years. You see, I was changed at the age of sixteen, so that is how old I will be, forever."

He clasped the girl's shoulders. "Wasn't anyone there to help you?"

She looked away. "Normally, when a vampire is turned, whoever turned it would raise it. But … I was changed by a vampire who was drunk in bloodlust. He fed from me for a random meal, and when I was reborn he was gone. I've been drifting as an immortal teenager ever since."

He let out a breath, and then hugged his old friend. Into her hair, he whispered, "What about your parents? The parents I met? Who are they?"

Crying, the girl responded. "A vampire has the ability to control a human's will and actions after they bite them, provided they were killed or turned. But … I never liked that. These science people were interested in me, and - -" She choked back the streams that were now flowing out of her eyes.

While Christina turned her head from the entire ordeal, Meyers wiped her face with his sleeve. "Tell me."

Sniffling. "… they agreed to pose as my parents if they could run tests on me, see how I work."

Austin's eyes perked up. He stood in outrage, bringing Angel up with him. "They won't hurt you right? You know not to let them expose you?"

In anger, Angel protested. "Of course not! I know how to keep my secret, you … I can take care of myself! I can outfight any human – for some reason, excluding your girlfriend, which is suspicious! I can control my "parents'" minds with a thought so there is no reason not to trust them!" She reached closer to the boy, levitating slightly off the ground. "If you _dare_ imply that something as feeble as a human slave could hurt me again –"

She was caught off-guard by the sound of a man groaning. Angel put her feet back down in enough time to see Ryan wake up from his injury, cursing under his breath at the pain at his neck. He stood. "W-where did the monster go?"

Christina stood by her master's side again, displeased where this evening had led. Meyers answered, "There was no monster, dude. The local girl got spooked and you hit a beam the wrong way."

He nodded, apparently accepting this. His eyes darted to Angel, and soon he followed suit. He took her by the hand, much to Austin's disgust. "Ryan Evers. Paranormal Investigator extraordinaire. And you might be?"

She stuttered, convinced – for some reason – that he was a professional in his field. "A-Angel Tepes."

He snapped his fingers. "Ah, like the vampire!"

Austin was about to rush in to her defense, but Christina broke in. "Actually, Vladimir Tepes was a prince and a warrior. He was said to impale his enemies on tall wooden stakes. Though there were rumors he would dine on their flesh and blood, he most certainly was not a vampire."

Ryan shrugged. "I just meant he inspired Dracula, but whatever." His attention turned back to the purple-haired maiden. "So, you want to go out some time? I could show you some of my ghost tracking equipment."

Christina could not resist the temptation. "How is that going, by the way? Nab your _ghost_?"

He looked down, disappointed. "Nope. It was just a hoax." He cheered himself up again in a second after. "Well, it was nice of you to invite me over here. And for the room and board."

Christina's eyes were vaguely glowing as she looked to Ryan. "What. Was. That?"

Austin put his arm around her. "Oh, you know, Hun! I set him up with a place to stay!"

Her mouth dropped. "In your dorm room?"

Ryan shook his head, perplexed. "No, a couple blocks away. New York is the best place to be in a business, after all."

Austin concealed his chuckles, knowing he tricked her into believing something so ludicrous. She looked to him again. _Hate. You._ Ryan was about to make another pass at Angel, when the group turned to see that she was gone. All but Evers looked annoyed. "Ha, she had a sense of humor. But, do I know her from somewhere?"

Meyers reluctantly answered him. "Not really. We were in the same neighborhood growing up, but she was homeschooled."

He nodded. "Well, I guess I'll be on my way back home then. You guys coming with?"

Austin nodded and took the back of his motorcycle. Ryan offered, "There's a sidecar for your girlfriend; it'll just take a little bit to put together. The parts are in the trunk under you, dude."

Christina refused. "Actually, I have some business to take care of. I'll meet Austin back at his place." The man in question shot her a death glare, wary of what business his demon assistant could possibly need to take care of. He got off of the bike, signaling the '_wait a minute'_ gesture to his friend, and whispered to her. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing big, but … master …"

He raised an eyebrow, motioning for her to continue.

"That girl … I know that you are friends with her, but she was still attacking that woman. She still has what I would guess are numerous crimes to answer for. Signing a contract with me, you became part of a game. A game where there is almost never a winner. Don't become too trusting."

He nodded solemnly and moved back to the bike, Ryan taking off seconds after. A dust cloud trailed after them as they exited the fair grounds.

* * *

><p>A spectral image was glistening over the seas that reached the harbor of the city. The man, his face as pale as the moon that brought light to his impression, struggled to keep his fishing line from going under. He looked panicked, afraid for his life. He was losing his footing and soon would be dragged under is he did not let go.<p>

A womanly figured walked on top of the water towards him. Her pentagram necklace shook as she effortlessly took each step. The phantom continued to replay his last moments of life. She reached out her hand, her nails an unmistakably smooth black, and wrapped her fingers around the old man's chin. He did not seem to notice her. She opened her mouth.

A soul was claimed.


	5. Musical Interlude

**Author's Note: This is like a filler episode. Finishing up around this festival, am heading into something else entirely next issue. Please enjoy this.**

* * *

><p>"57 bottles of beer on the wall! 57 bottle of beer! Take one down, pass it around, 56 bottles of beer on the wall!"<p>

Mentally, Christina grimaced. Though in reality, she had a wide smile plastered across her face. Austin was in the back seat of his car, letting her drive. He was in between his two friends, Ryan Evers and Zach Cavins. They were swaying back and forth and singing that old tune as if they were drunk. It was _very_ annoying. Still, a smile reached her lips. This was the first time the master had even resembled a normal teenage boy. It was a touching sight to see.

She pulled into the drive lane, noting that the boys had lost their breath at 55 bottles. The day was becoming night and the festival's music would soon start. Christina cut off the engine and allowed the gentlemen to escape the black van.

* * *

><p>Christina gestured so the boys walked in front of her to take their seats. All but Austin thought it was weird, of course but she could not help her customs of servitude from taking her over. The boys talked among themselves, and again the demon sulked. In Hell, demons were nearly royalty. Sure, the ordinary souls were either devoured or tortured, but she was treated as if she were the Queen of the Underworld. The same was true for most demons. But as hunger commanded her and every one of her kind, she had to leave her comfortable living to seek sustenance.<p>

This is what her life had become.

She faked a relationship with a man who was obsessive and who in the end would suffer a fate worse than death, she was sure. She would devour his soul, enjoy a few decades "down south", and continue the cycle again and again. It was beginning to become annoying. Her eyes trailed down to her feet. The announcer of the festival shouted loudly. The crowd cheered. Music played. Her master tugged her sleeve roughly. Without a word, though he seemed rather panicked, he pointed in a direction back stage. Something ran across the shadows. Could it have been the vampire girl again? She nodded and was about to leave when Ryan tapped her hand, apparently aware of the situation. How could she tell him she was better equipped to handle a supernatural situation than him? So, she let him go.

Ryan excused himself, racing to the back. Zach was amazed by his bravery, but Austin would not let Christina's duties slide. As Ryan was gathering attention pushing through everyone who was attending the concert, it was apparent he needed more of a distraction for one reason: the place was in between songs, and the next scheduled band was late. Christina sighed, knowing what she had to do.

The girl had disappeared, a rim of smoke forming on stage as she manifested again, stepping lightly onto the wooden stage as the music began to play. She sang.

_The monochrome blows _

_Through our colorless encounter. _

_I shall entrust each of my pains to you_

_The unforgiving autumn, _

_Which forcefully traces my scars, comes _

_While your cool fingers still beckon me_

_After I'd melted, you tenderly save _

_The troublesome, icy me _

_And toy around with me with a kiss_

_Nevertheless, I search for a single form of love _

_Your dried eyes tied it to the present from a time far beyond _

_If I can, I want to end while shrouded this like _

_Together, we concealed our pale selves; the moon is hiding, too_

_How many nights _

_Did I come to love since then? _

_In the sea of dependence, I forget to even breathe_

Her eyes darted among the crowd as the scene progressed behind her, out of view. Austin, Zach, and Ryan had wrestled something to the ground, but they were still fighting. More people began to lose interest in her, despite the theatrics on stage. She had to kick it up a notch.

_muchuu no sono temae de nama nurusa dake wo nokoshite _

_hiki kiwa no bigaku _

_tokuige na kisu kirau_

_hitori ni shinai de mou sasshite ayamete _

_dono kotoba mo kimi no heya de wa surinukete iku no _

_midarete nemutte sore ijyou wo oshiete? _

_egao no toi ni mayou toiki tsuki dake ga miteru_

_tsugi no nagai hari ga tenjyou ni todoku koro ni wa _

_kimi wa mou inai _

_watashi wa mou iranai_

The crowd erupted! Who would expect an unknown artist to sing in Japanese? They whaled, but never covered her melodic work. They begged for more. Christina tried to feel what was happeneing behind her. The fighting had stopped.

_sore de mo tashika ni ai no katachi wo sagashita _

_tooku yori mo ima wo musunda nureta hitomi wa _

_dekireba kono mama tsutsumarete owaritai _

_sono negai wa yoru wa munashiku asa wo tsurete kuru_

_yasashikute atsukute hikyou na KISU de_

_irodotte yo saigo no yoru tsuki ga terashiteru _

Everyone applauded her. Christina bowed in acceptance. She turned to her master and her friends, hoping that the adventures at these docks would finally be over. She wanted nothing more than to start with Meyers' graduation ceremonies already. What she saw shocked her to the point of utter stillness. The creature they had just bagged, the creature they thought would be yet another supernatural menace and something to be hunted for the disruption of the fair, was nothing more than an unknown child in a ghostly costume, on the verge of tears. And her mother looked mad.

So much for the complex planning and mentality of her partner.


	6. Helpless

_ Austin grudgingly wrapped the bandana around his face, his eyes the only glimpse of him peeking out of the cloth. The others wore the same, clad in leather, hair dye, and spikes. A strange aura resonated from their pistols. A strange purple glow. Otherwise, they seemed like typical street thugs. Austin was the odd man out. _

_ The walls were graffitied and the brutes circled Austin casually, as if he were prey that would by no means escape. "You ready, Meyers?"_

* * *

><p>Christina was no longer the guiding force in getting Austin out of bed or to act like a human who <em>didn't<em> experience such trauma. He didn't need her today. It was graduation and Meyers was full of energy knowing that a job at Phantom Corp. was beating down his door. The stage used by the university and the surrounding area for the awaiting class and audience was twice the size of a football field. Austin was in no hurry, though. He savored the moments in his pride. The only hassle on this day was to get Ryan and Zach to stop bugging each other and to not bring a bag of gummy bears to a formal graduation ceremony. It was easier said than done.

Christina sat beside them, pushing away the bag of candy between them once again. She sat in her seat, being sure to separate the two, and awaited her master's name to be called. "Harriet Lejoyn."

"Marcus Lyga."

"Marianne Margot."

Austin was rushing his way to wear the rest of his class was sitting, obviously just now getting into his robe. Being behind the clock like this was really unlike him, Christina noted. She wondered what he could have done in the short time between her dropping him off and now. "Austin Meyers."

He was composed and presentable now. Meyers walked onto the stage and received his certificate. He held it up triumphantly, and his college friends celebrated with him by swinging the magical appearing-no-matter-how-many-times-Christina-takes-them-away gummy bears. Meyers walked down as the next names were called. Zach and Ryan slapped him on the back, messing up his hair. He looked to Christina almost as if she really was his girlfriend. She smiled, but interrupted the happy moment. "What took you? You were a total wreck when you came out."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Angel came to talk to me again."

The demon shook her head. "She is hiding something from you. Her eating habits, no doubt."

"It's not like that!" he protested. "She explained everything. It's actually pretty cool."

No, Christina thought to herself. Being a vampire is not cool. They are just a step down from demons. If she weren't one, she would say that. Ryan stole away Meyers. "My treat for you guys! I brought an electromagnetic field detector. Supernatural entities pull in the forces from the air when they try to manifest. We're gonna go ghost hunting after this!"

Zach joined him. "Dude! Why didn't you tell me you knew an actual paranormal guy? It's totally awesome!" He swung his arm around the investigator's shoulders.

After the final name was called, the announcer declared them all society's finest. Each graduate threw his or her cap into the air. Austin did so reluctantly. Christina looked proudly to him, then noticed Angel making her way over to him.

Then, there was a scream.

The crowd separated as a handful of men made their way to the stage. One climbed to the top and took a microphone into his hand. Everyone was silenced with a warning gunshot. "Alright! Listen up! What we have here is a hostage situation! If anybody moves, it won't be pretty. Now, we don't need any heroes, and we don't need any interruptions. Do that, and we'll shoot to kill."

A few cocked their guns to demonstrate. The crowd was forced to assume the position – hands behind their heads and knees to the ground. Meyers knew this wasn't an ordinary case. It was too lazy. This was an open area, in a highly populated ceremony. No money demands. No possible profit.

Then there were the weapons.

They had long wooden batons, pistols, and bronze knuckle. All of them were glowing slightly. Both he and Christina were secretly becoming wary of the situation. The weapons were glowing. Didn't anyone notice? Was there a glare from their sunglasses or something? Unlikely, since they weren't wearing any. Milano laid low waiting for the order from her master. It never came.

He stayed their silently, feeling a twinge of guilt watching his friends being mistreated. But there was no other alternative. Sure, he could always call on Christina. She would no doubt find a stealthy way to take them all out. Still, the police were already on their way. There was too big of a crowd for them to control for much longer, so why worry? Worse comes to worse and a couple people are injured. The questioned remaining was their reason in being there.

Christina tapped Austin's shoulder, and he gasped at the sight of angel around the corner. Though her moving in that sort of environment may seem brave to the untrained eye, the vampire was terrified, despite her supposed immortality. Like anyone would, at first Austin thought she would attempt a rescue. But no. She stood there, hiding behind the wood paneling of the stage, almost completely out of sight.

An option more cowardly than what Austin would ever expect of her.

The police arrived momentarily. The blaring red and blue lights would blind a person had they been enhanced by the dark of night. Several cars surrounded the area. Threats echoed through the officials' blowhorns. The boys in blue raised their guns. Bullets shot through the air, terrifying the victims of the escapade. A few of the perpetrators seemed wounded in the arms, legs, or torso. Didn't these people have permission to kill yet? One, holding his right arm, found the strength to fight. He shot at the collective group of policemen, each bullet nothing but a large purple, ovular disc that was buried into the body of one of the men.

Over a dozen supernatural saucers flew into him. He fell instantly. The others avenged him easily, despite the strange weapon. The crowd cheered at the triumph of justice, even if they didn't understand what was happening. The shooters were arrested silently and the hostages were dismissed.

Austin was fuming over not being able to do anything, or at least anything that would have mattered in the long run. Christina laid a hand on him, deliberately leaving Zach and Ryan behind for the time being. Then, out of the corner of her eye, the demon saw something that deeply angered her. There was a teenager with long blonde hair, dressed in black with a hoodie to emulate a certain _deathly _figure. A red top was the only color to her dark ensemble. A hand-sized scythe was strapped to her waist, and glasses that didn't suit her at all were adorned. Beside her was a man – she assumed he was a man – dressed completely in a Victorian-style outfit and matching trench coat, in all red no less. He had flowing red hair and red glasses, leaning on a chainsaw for support as if it were a cane.

Christina shot her eyes back to Meyers, but he was ahead of her. He shook his head. "Who are they?"

* * *

><p>A man dressed in all black came out of the shadows. He was in the young man's office, but he wore a smirk on his face. "You're plan did not seem to bear any success, my Lord."<p>

Without turning around, the cold reply was, "I haven't been defeated yet."


	7. Reapers

Christina and Austin stared blankly at the two. The blond was shaking her head and hands nervously, as if the two had just set off a bomb that she did not want detonated. The red haired _man_ smiled devilishly and revealed a row as teeth as sharp as those of sharks. To the demon and master's surprise, he struck a pose. "I am a reaper to DIE for ~3! I am Grell Sutcliff, the fiery red deliverer of the hands of DEATH! Woman of passion and massacre! ~3"

They both stared at him. The pose was ridiculous. And did he just refer to himself as a woman?

The girl beside him facepalmed. "Please, sempai. I like working with you everything, but do you have to be so over-the-top?" She reached into her waist-strap and armed herself with her mini-scythe.

Grell waved his finger at her. "My dear, life is a never-ending theater, and I always demand center stage!"

Still, both were awestruck. Christina opened her mouth, but nothing came out except for a couple cracking sounds. Austin was worried about how this Sutcliff guy was looking at him. The blond introduced herself. "Hi. My name's Jessi Rizzo. We're both reapers here, and those criminals that left with the police before we got here? Yeah, they're using unauthorized soul-utilizing weapons and need to be stopped."

Austin faked a shocked look. "R-reapers? W-why would you say something like that to us?" He hold Christina close, having her play her part. She thought the act was amusing, but never favored being so close to someone that commanded her.

Grell added, "Drop the act, sweetie. A couple decades ago, a new method was founded by the Shinigami Dispatch Society. Only those who are fellow-supernatural-beings, or in some cases made a contract with one, are able to see and hear us. Since you noticed us, we knew you'd already have a dirty little secret!"

Jessi added, "We just want information. Souls are being used as a fuel source and we just want to know what you do."

Austin smirked. "Sorry, you just told us more than we already knew. The graduating class was held hostage. The weapons were glowing. That's all we knew prior to your visit."

Jessi looked as if she had been _epically_ defeated, while Grell was growling.

Christina added more fuel to the fire. "The Shinigami Library has been functioning for millennia now. If security has gotten so lax that someone could just take some souls out and use them as ammo, then I guess it really shouldn't surprise us that you would take help from random people, right?"

Rizzo walked up to Christina, her scythe a centimeter from her neck. She was probably just going to say "How dare you?" as she had no dialogue prepared, but Grell put his hand on her shoulder. "I should have realized. The girl in black. You're a demon, aren't you? Oh my, here I was hoping to never see another piece of demon scum again." He raised his chainsaw, starting it up to where the sound of it roaring was nearly covering to entire speech. "It seems I will have to put this girl in her place, Jessi. Please be a good little rookie and watch as a legend works her magic!"

Christina cocked an eyebrow, not at all surprised by the challenge. Austin bellowed, tired of this entire scenario, "Christina! This is an order! Defeat him!" Almost all of the people from the graduation ceremony had filed out by this point, and the police had finished their business. There was nothing to stop them.

She grinned, "Yes, my master."

Grell moved forward, pushing his chainsaw to Christina, but she caught the blade between her hands and bent the direction to the grass bellow. Grell placed a swift kick to Christina's side. She swayed out of his range, but he countered each dodged. Christina quipped, "So why so down on demons? Sebastian dump you?"

Grell growled again and swung, this time succeeding in destroying a segment of asphalt, though to his credit tearing the side of the demon girl's pants. Rising, he responded, "The early 1900s were not kind to me, no. However, William knows how to cater to a woman's needs! Too bad you shall not live to enjoy such a feeling!" Grell used his chainsaw again, and Christina kicked him in his stomach. Jessi cringed from a distanced, but hesitated to go in; she never considered herself much of a fighter and wondered if she would be of any help at all.

Christina backed up, anticipating Grell's next attack. She spotted something glimmering amongst the remaining chairs and grabbed it, being sliced again by the death scythe in the process. Austin was furious. What part of his order was so hard to understand? Grell was about to strike her with the finishing blow, but Christina moved out of the way in time. She appeared behind him, tipping him over while she was out of his sight. Ending the fight, she tossed a gun into his hands. "I believe this was left by the culprits, _Madam_. I apologize for holding you up in your investigation."

Grell took it, still sore in his ego, but otherwise perfectly fine. Without another word, Grell jumped into the air only to land a hundred feet away on the roof of the college. Jessi looked back again, worried, and followed suit.

After the fight, Christina didn't exactly look pretty. Her side was covered in blood, though her posture didn't show if she felt any pain. Austin walked to her. "I hope you're happy. You disobeyed my orders and you gave away possible evidence, should we ever want to know what actually happened."

Her face was innocent, a puppy about to cry. "Really, master? Because it seems to me that even though I was more harshly injured that Grell was the one to back down first, even if it wasn't from intimidation or surrender. You asked me to defeat him, and I did. Also, we may not have the weapon, but we have something more important: information."

"Oh?" This peaked his interest. "And what would that be?"

The demon girl could feel the satisfaction on his breath as she uttered these words. "The soul-weapons were made by Phantom Corp."


	8. The Story of Jessi Rizzo

**A/N: A bit of a flashback episode. No one minds, right? :D It explains what happened to that mysterious girl mentioned a thousand chapters ago that found the website on "How to be a Grim Reaper". Though the site is explained next issue, this focuses more on what she went through first arriving as a rookie and how she ended up by Grell's side so fast. **

**I try my best to write Grell in character but you know sometimes I think he's so out there I don't know whether he's too extreme or not extreme enough. **

** Why am I boring you with that? By all means, read on!**

* * *

><p>Jessi opened her eyes. Where was she? It looked like some kind of office. The last thing she remembered, there was a party. The whole "instructions to become a Grim Reaper" thing was just a few magic words, but they didn't do anything. It was most likely a scam, so she went to have fun with her friend.<p>

She strained to remember more.

That one friend – Nicole, if she could remember right – was, well, she was being a whore. Again. Jessi decided to drown her sorrows in punch. In retrospect, it might have been spiked. It didn't taste right. Then, things got a little blurry. She felt like puking. Then again, she might have puked in the bathroom already. She went out to the pool. The others coaxed her into swimming in that state.

She couldn't navigate.

Her body felt heavy.

Water filled her lungs.

She couldn't breathe…

Someone came around the corridor. It was a man dressed completely in black, a business suit. He used something long and sharp to readjust his glasses, but Jessi honestly couldn't tell what it was. Her vision, at the moment, was too blurry to make out anything. She heard the man say, "It is about time you showed up. We have been expecting you your death a few days ago."

For a moment, that line sunk like a rock. But then it all came back. She died because of a drunken party incident, nothing more to it. The man continued while fixing bulky, unappealing glasses onto her face, "I am William T. Spears, supervisor of the Dispatch Management among Shinigami. I realize you must be in shock at this moment, but please delay any traumatic stress symptoms until after I have assigned you to your guidance instructors. They will be teaching you the basics of becoming a Grim Reaper and techniques when soul harvesting."

A Grim Reaper. That phony online spell really worked. Jessi Rizzo was going to become a reaper. She couldn't contain herself any longer and glomped the supervisor. "Thank you!~3"

William was scared stoic after such physical contact. When the girl regained her modesty, he composed himself and realigned his glasses again. "I see young girls attend to stress in different ways…"

Spears led Jessi to a man in all red with matched red hair, red glasses, and a rather bloody-looking red chainsaw. His hair was grown out, so he seemed rather feminine. It took her a moment to realize he did that on purpose. "Mr. Grell Sutcliffe, this is your newest student, Jessi Rizzo. The trainee classes cannot begin for her until the start of the next semester, so you are to acquaint her with yourself and Mr. Ronald Knox as well as her living quarters."

"WHAT?" Sutcliff protested. "William, you _know_ I don't do kids!"

He adjusted his glasses again. "Yes, and with that it's safe to say that this is one assignment where I needn't prepare sexual harassment papers."

If it were an anime, Grell would have one of those red anger markings. Maybe three. He stomped his foot on the ground. "Fine! I'll see if I can find Ronald!" He grabbed Jessi tightly by the wrist and she was defenseless against it, so she just went along with the flow. After walking through a couple hallways, Grell finally looked back, seemingly feeling guilty. "Oh. My, how unladylike … I haven't given you so much as a word on the subject, haven't I?" It wasn't until a moment later he remembered to let go.

Jessi tried not to make the situation too serious; it was obvious he and this _Will_ guy were not on the best terms. "Oh, it's really no big deal. Apparently I died and became a Shinigami. No big deal … my name is Jessi Rizzo, by the way."

Grell calmed himself to a smile. "I'm sorry, I'm always so insensitive to the rookies. I know you just experienced something truly unique. I am your instructor, Grell Sutcliff. I'll introduce you to your other teacher as soon as we find him." He turned before asking. "Might I inquire how you died, or is it too soon? I can never tell."

She followed behind him, knowing that they were on the elusive-teacher hunt again. "I'm over it, really. Just a bit depressing my death was so lame. I got drunk and drowned in a pool."

He cocked his head over his shoulder, "Um, dear, no offense, but if I were you I'd either make something up or keep it my little secret."

Rizzo blushed. "Well, I didn't _want_ to drink in the first place. Someone spiked my punch, so you could say it was indirect murder. You see, I was at this party and –"

"Did someone say 'party'?" Ronald almost ran in from around the corner. He was a Shinigami in yet another business suit and glasses, but his hair was layered with blond hair that was brown underneath. His scythe, a lawn mower, was placed beside him. Looking to Jessi, Ronald was being his old self. "So, rookie, huh? Y'know, I can teach you all there is to reaping; I'm like the master, myself. Piece of cake. So if you ever want to get together sometime - -"

Jessi cringed at the offer from the older man while Grell took his chainsaw to Knox's head only to be blocked by the lawn mower. Grell screamed to him, "Have you no shame? This young girl was seventeen, and hasn't aged a day since her Death Date!"

"You know just as well as I do that between Shinigami ages don't matter because we never get old anyways." He shrugged. "I don't see what the big deal is."

Grell facepalmed and shook his head in defeat. He turned back to Jessi. "I have more important work to do, so just remember not to give that man an inch!"

A joke about inches crossed Ronald's mind, but then again that would be inappropriate so he just chuckled to himself. Rizzo nodded in agreement to Grell before he ran off. Which left her alone with Ronald. "So," she began awkwardly, "what can you tell me about reaping, again?"

He leaned against a wall, his arms behind his head. "The technique itself is a basic concept. We go to where people are dying and use our death scythes to open their Cinematic Record - you may know them as memories – and judge what kind of life they led. We decide whether they go to heaven, hell, or if they survive."

Jessi's right hand brushed by her smaller scythe strapped around her waist and grabbed it. "So, we just use this?"

Ronald shook his head in a chuckle. "Not usually, no. See, you rookies just need to sit back in the classroom for a while, learn all the fighting skills, ethics, and all that written junk they make you go through. If you pass that, which few do, then you go on to a field test. Judge and collect a soul and you become a full grim reaper. Get to customize both your glasses and your scythe. You'll notice both me and Sutcliff's little numbers." He held up the lawnmower as if he were proud to wield such a thing. His arms stretched out when he shot out one arm to hold it higher and Jessi could've sworn that his hand passed her butt, but let it go. Ronald added, "Oh! One more thing! Since Mr. Sutcliff and I are supposed to be your teachers starting next semester, you should know that he is sensitive about the whole 'being a man' thing. He's prefer it if you'd address him as a woman whenever possible. I know he gets angry at me whenever I slip up. Though, it's fun when he gets angry. If he slips, you can hear his _man_ voice."

As much as the information was useful, Jessi was beginning to become less and less comfortable around him. She could swear she could feel his eyes. Rather rudely, she exclaimed, "Aren't there any other female Shinigami?"

He scratched the back of his neck, rather disappointed. "Yeah, but a lot of those girls just stick with desk jobs. A lot of them aren't fighters. Not really surprising since women's rights only happened in the last hundred years or so. Takes even longer to reach supernatural standards, which only means you'll have to work that much harder to get on the field with me!"

Jessi could feel shivers along her spine when Ronald put his hand around her. Did he have no rules at all about teacher/student relationships? Rizzo honestly didn't know how to react to it. After all, she was a high school student and not a very popular one at that. She never had someone like her. Especially not someone who was most likely a couple hundred years older than her. Or was it like he said and was really no big deal? Confusing. She shook herself from her daze to ask another question. "What about these clunky glasses? I had perfect 20/20 vision when I was alive! They just don't compliment me at all." She started to pout.

"Ooh," Ronald groaned. "You wouldn't want Spears to hear you say that. All Shinigami needs glasses – that's just how it works – and he goes off whenever someone disrespects them. You can get better ones made by Father if you ever become a full-reaper. Besides, I think you look cute like this."

Glasses were so important? And who was Father? Jessi was starting to feel like a complete newbie for having all of these questions in her head, so she just smiled and thanked him, slowly stepping away. Even with a semi-realistic smile plastered across her face, Ronald could tell that the day was going on a bit long for her. He reached out his hand genuinely. "I'm really not supposed to do this, especially not with first-years, but there's this place called the Shinigami Library. Those books are where all of the collected souls are brought." Her eyes lit up. "I could take you there if you want."

Knox may have taken Jessi there, but he didn't hesitate to leave her either. Rizzo wandered through the "B" section aimlessly. It began to dawn on her that her true life was over. In truth, her dad probably didn't miss her, the lousy drunk. Jessi was disappointed about not being able to see her mother in heaven. People in her high school she could live without, but what about her career? What about vet school? Can't help animals live when she has to collect the souls of the dying. Being surrounded by so many souls was starting to creep her out. She looked over her shoulder worriedly. Everywhere around her seemed to be filled with shadows though when she looked directly in any direction it was as bright as the rest of the room.

Jessi ran between the aisles of the Shinigami Library. Whispers were just barely audible, so she ducked behind one of the bookcases. Across the hall was a certain undead transvestite pleading with his superior. Jessi grinned, pleased that it was only her nerves after all. Grell was on his knees, begging the man. "Oh, please please please please let me stay in London, William! I have so much history here and one place in the human world is as boring as another! I don't want to be apart from you, my dear William!"

Rizzo held back her chuckles.

Spears shook the man in red off of his black pants. "Mr. Sutcliff, let go of me! Now, I've already mentioned this isn't permanent. There have been reports of illegal soul-utilizing technology in the United States and we need someone to confirm it. That is all, barely even a trip. Really, how you've come to suffer from such extreme separation anxiety is beyond me. Now, I suggest you pack and leave before you are given overtime."

Grell, disheartened, left. Though, after a few steps he went back to his boss and plant a kiss on his lips before running away for his work screaming, "I'll be back soon!" Spears, though, had the reactions of a statue. Jessi, immediately, regretted eavesdropping. She blushed, covered her hands over her eyes, and stepped backwards. Apparently, there were quite a few more office relationships than anticipated. Then, it hit her. One of her teachers was heading out to America, because apparently right now she was in London. A plan immediately formed. Who wants to sit in a classroom to learn how to be a grim reaper? Who learns like that? Certainly if she could prove herself on the field she could become a full reaper immediately! Knox may be a creep, but Grell seemed nice for the most part and definitely seemed like a rule-bender. As soon as William walked away, Rizzo ran to her red-clad teacher. Before she let the _Mister_ slip, she remembered what Ronald told her. "Ms. Sutcliff! Wait up!"

Grell paused in his tracks and turned around smiling. "Yes, what is it?"

Jessi caught up with him, taking out her rookie-scythe. She smirked. "I'm coming with you."

He laughed. "Ha! You haven't learned your first lesson yet! You haven't attended any classes and you only arrived here today!" He smiled crookedly and revealed his shark-like teeth. "Are you really so arrogant?"

She shrugged. "Well, I _was_ still human not too long ago. Arrogance is a human thing."

He looked to her questioningly. "You do realize … there is a way for death to await even us."

"And I am sure I'll never have to face it."

"It's against the rules. _Deathly_ consequences will rise up should Dispatch find out should we do this."

"I've always sensed you were a fellow rule-bender."

Grell grabbed Jessi by the arm and pulled her eagerly toward the door.


	9. Business

"Mr. Meyers, this way to your office." Austin followed the suited man down the hall, Christina following him. After studying for so long at New York University, his dream position was still out of reach. He achieved earning a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in one semester after extra classes in high school. Now? He has an intern position at Phantom Corp. But that was all he needed.

He flashed a plastered yet still warm smile. "Thank you, sir. I look forward to working here!"

He shook his head cheerfully and waved goodbye.

Christina raised an eyebrow and turned to him, taking a couple steps forward. "Well master, you did it. You may be no different from a secretary, but you got in the company. Now what?"

Austin scuffled through the desk, organizing everything for the work day ahead. Making that appear so, at least. He was really just angrily flipping through papers and files. "I need to find a certain person and his files. If I can dig up enough evidence, and then I'll have my revenge."

Christina smiled at the realization. Soon, it would all be over. His soul would be hers. "And your job may not be ideal, but it gets you to where you need to be. Here I thought you'd be in nerd rage."

Austin's cell phone beeped. He lifted up one finger to signal her to be wait while he looked at a text. Christina's eyes flared that iridescent green that was like a supernatural fire lit within her. "Who is that."

He turned but looked over his shoulder to her. "It was Angel. We talked last night about her vampirism. She's old, but hasn't aged a day, really. She has everything under control with her secret, as it turns out. She made a deal with these scientists that she would allow them to study her if they pose as her parents. If they get out of line, they have their mind controlled. I have to admit, that kind of power is amazing. A person could definitely use it."

The demon had shimmering black shadows as an aura around her. "What … did you say? I'm sorry; let me run over this again. You want her power? You want freakin' more power? I'm a _demon_, ok? Right now you have the power of Hell at your disposal and you're checking out a vampire? No. No go. You got me you stick with me. You get your revenge, I eat your soul. Done … and …. DONE!" Christina slammed her fist down onto the desk, making it crumble to a heap.

"Shinigami Dispatch Officer, Grell Sutcliff. Surprisingly well-behaved, but you put a student in danger. We are short-handed as is. Shinigami-in-training, Jessi Rizzo. You never met with your advisor about your class schedule, you left the grounds of the Shinigami realm, and you were unauthorized to engage in any sort of battle. I have heard there is a demon that was involved as well. This was Mr. Sutcliff's mission and his alone."

Jessi cringed thinking about whatever sort of supernatural punishment the man would think up. "B-but, Mister! I-I was never told not to leave or anything, and shouldn't you go easy on me for a first offense of something because - -"

Grell cut her off. "It's better if you hold your breath, dear. I've tried the consistent-begging technique before. It never works on him."

Jessi remembered that night in the Shinigami Library. She could confirm that. She frowned and continued, "I'm never going to make it out on the field now, am I? Sometimes I think I should have just gone to heaven instead of casting that stupid spell."

Will's eyes widened. "You used a _spell_ to get here? Where did you see it?"

Grell suddenly looked like a bear was about to attack him. Jessi answered, "I was surfing my computer around midnight and there was instructions on how to become a Grim Reaper. I thought it was a joke, but I tried it anyways."

Will's hands were shaking. "Who would …" Then he turned to Grell. He looked about as innocent as he did during a certain serial killing. "Sutcliff," Spears continued, "why would you do such a thing? You know that such methods of recruitment have been against protocol for a few decades now." His face had already turned red and he was pinching the bridge of his nose.

Grell twiddled his fingers. "Oh William, I really didn't want to disobey you. You know that, right? It's just that finding new Shinigami has been hard lately. Few actual Shinigami such as the Undertaker ever existed, so only certain souls of the dead are chosen for transformation. Very select souls. Narrowing this down through training classes limits us even more. I thought that if I gave humans access to that spell then it would only help us."

Spears snapped at him. "I know exactly what you thought! If what this young girl said was true then she should not even be here at the moment! Unfortunately, when she took out her scythe for the first time she became an actual Shinigami permanently. So, as punishment you will both be doing overtime for the next month. All soul transfer paperwork must be met before deadline and the soul-utilization case will be transferred to someone more competent."

Jessi's mouth was open, but the usually-overdramatic Grell looked more bored, as if he were used to it for some reason. William adjusted his glasses again and left in a huff. Grell glared down at her, and she wished that she could only die again. She said. "S-sorry."

Grell still seemed angry at her, but there was something about Jessi's teenage appearance and her terrified demeanor that made her seem so innocent, almost vulnerable. How could he stay mad at that. "No worries, dear. I'll just make it up to Will later! ~ 3"

Jessi shook the thought of them together from her mind. "Um, Mister – ah! I mean, Miss – Sutcliff … if it's alright in me asking … why are you with Will? He seems so stern and serious. It just seems like he treats you so badly …" She didn't dare continue. Who was she to meddle in the affairs of her superiors?

To her surprise, the man slapped her at her shoulders playfully. "Honey, what you don't seem to understand is …" He leaned in close to her and continued in a whisper. "I like it that way! ~3"

The young master and his servant walked slowly to the lobby of the former's corporation. The master, a child not looking a day past the age of thirteen with eyes as red as fire, was dressed in modern business attire. His butler's uniform looked only slightly modified from the day the two had begun working together. The servant's eyes were of those matching his master's. The child said curtly, "So, he has been accepted in the Phantom Company? Excellent."

"My Lord, you seem to be exceedingly entertained by this man. Perhaps you are not bored with this century after all?"

The master smirked. "All children must enjoy their games."

Christina and Austin stood amongst the rubble, frozen, when the other two approached. Meyers recognized the face of industry and bowed to the head of the company, Calder Phantom. "Sir, it is a pleasure to meet you."

The master only stared down the intern while the man's head was lowered. "All children must enjoy their games, but it seems this one is coming to an end."

Austin looked back up, confused. "Sir?"

Calder glared at him with disdain. "I know who you are and why you're here. You want to destroy my company."

Austin's look of respect turned to one of combat. "And who would you be?"

Christina was still staring at the butler, an air of familiarity so strong there was no mistaking what he really was. "Many years have passed; there's no wonder new names were needed to continue without suspicion. Calder Phantom? Or Ciel Phantomhive. And … Sebastian Michaelis."


	10. Gang Warfare

"So, why are we following them again?" Jessi, usually the only one to make the risky moves, was following her mentor, Grell Sutcliff, worriedly. "I'm pretty sure William wants us to stay behind and do some paperwork."

Grell looked back to her as they were jumping across the building of New York, scythes in hand. "You're the one that wanted to come along in the beginning. If you wanted paperwork, then you should have stayed behind before. Now, young Jessi, you're in for the long haul."

She shook her head. "So what's the plan? There are people utilizing soul energy and another reaper is supposed to be on it. Where do we go to look?"

Grell sighed, the both of them still in a silent race against each other. "The Undertaker, many years ago, attempted to create the living dead for his own amusement by putting people's cinematic records in endless loops. Though this was foiled, he is the closest thing we have to a Shinigami that has manipulated a person's soul much like our perpetrators have. His old base was back in London as a form of retirement, but he has since been under the microscope by Will and the others at Dispatch. If anything, we'd be able to work with him."

Rizzo hated asking so many questions, but she had no choice. "So who are these guys? Who on earth is trying to harvest souls for energy?"

"My dear, from what Intel has gathered since William held us, it all comes down to a gang."

"This gang, the Banshees, are a group of selfish humans that got their hands on reapers' death scythes. No one knows how. Some say that the scythes were left after a few Shinigami had died, others claim that the Shinigami Dispatch has a traitor in their midst. In any case, they customize these scythes to modern weapons. They collect the souls of the living. They use them for personal gain, mainly power. I am sorry to say that I have neglected addressing this issue which has begun with certain members of my company. I apologize."

"My Lord has grown sentimental over the years. I remember a time when an apology was impossible to come by when it came to you." Sebastian smirked.

Austin stood his ground, restraining himself from approaching them. "I know, Phantomhive. I know who they are and where they came from. And thanks to them, though I didn't expect you to still be a child, I also knew who you are."

Christina looked to him in shock. Memories flooded back to her about the night they made the deal. His torment. His anguish. His _guilt_.

Ciel looked up to him with his own demonic eyes. "I have no doubt. My business was where your trouble began, but I must admit I never thought you'd find us liable for your own misfortune. You understand, Meyers, that I am aware of your past as well."

Austin looked down in shame, but refused to let it shake him.

Ciel continued, "You were one of the Banshees. You were an unnatural harvester of souls. You condemned your mother and sister."

Christina, for as long as she had lived, could no longer look at him with surprise nor be shocked at the development. She only looked to him for confirmation and it was there.

Her master explained himself. "I'm a greedy person; I always was. I wanted that power and taking out my own family was a form of initiation. I regretted it, I turned on them and by then it was too late! I made the deal to try to find you all again!"

Ciel shouted, "Don't say 'you all' as if someone from the Banshees are among us. You are the only one who fills those qualifications, not I nor anyone else here. You are truly despicable. You want power and nothing else and went to such extremes to acquire it. I would never have hired you if it not had been my only means of seeing you face to face."

"Isn't that rather hypocritical of you, my lord? In your own quest for revenge, you were quite the power player yourself." Only Ciel and the two demons knew about those events, but a young vampire interrupted, rushing to the center of the scene and wrapping her arms around Meyers' waist. Ciel, lost in his endless stream of comparison, couldn't help but think, _Yes. Meyers and I are very much alike in both our methods and our strategy. But not in our soul. Austin seems to value power among all else, whereas I value myself, not just the force which I may wield. That is what makes him a fool._

Sebastian reminded him, "My Lord, they will arrive at any moment now to retrieve him."

Ciel nodded. "Yes. Let us be off."

Soon, the both of them had disappeared into the shadows.

No one had noticed they had gone. Angel was pleading with Austin, "Y-you couldn't have done it! Your motive for getting a demon was for revenge, remember? Is it all revenge against yourself? And what about the hold-up at your graduation? What was the point of that? It doesn't make sense!"

Surprised, all he could make out between his demon's icy glare and the woman around his waist was, "H-how did you get here? What are you doing?"

Angel got up and slapped Austin across his face. "I got worried about you. The last time you were attacked, I was nothing but a coward. I am a vampire that was afraid to fight. That's not right. This time when I felt something wrong, I used my power. I tracked you down. And I found this."

"We all do things we're not proud of," he reasoned. "I just realized the truth too late. The hold-up was to grab my attention, to show me they can go on without me. It served no other purpose." He held her close. "I'm sorry, Angel. You are by far the sweetest vampire I've ever met."

She sniffled, "I'm the only vampire you've ever met, you doof."

He smirked, "I'll let you feed off me if you help me with this case."

She smiled. "Would've done it for free, but hey, who am I to turn that down?"

Christina interrupted them. "The Banshees haven't made a move yet. I suggest we act fast."

Angel clung to Austin again. She asked, "What are we supposed to do?"

The demon raised an eyebrow. "Wow, you're supposed to be a creature of the night. Wanna get any closer to your meal there? Anyways, the plan is to get the upper hand against them and fulfill my master's wish. The question is how."

A whistle screeched through the air and Angel was forced to cover her ears, being sensitive to the sound. They turned to see Jessi and Grell down the hall from them, waving. The teenager was all grins when the more experienced reaper revealed his hand covered in what looked like a kind of enchanted armor. "Compliments of the Undertaker." 


	11. Finale

**Author's Note: Wow, I promised to finish this series forever-ago. I hope I don't disappoint after such a long wait! Read on and enjoy! I own nothing!**

* * *

><p>Grell explained, "There were a few members of the Banshees posted around this building, all taken out thanks to <em>me<em> by the way, but the rest were too chicken and decided they would pray on some other poor soul to ruin a few lives."

Austin took a few steps back from the redhead. "Then what's the gauntlet for? Phantomhive just strolled away. If I can't take down the banshees, then I at least want to take down the brat who let so much power slip out of his hands."

"Excuse me, Master?" Christina interjected. "Yeah, Sebastian's a demon. Ciel's a demon. I'm a demon. It'd be sort of a deadlock. I mean, I'm still forced to do whatever you say, but … yeah, I'd most likely wind up dead."

"Nooooo…" Angelica clung to her dreamboat again. "Everyone is going to be ok."

"Listen up!" Jessi screamed, a migraine growing. "Everything's going to be fine all right. Just not for you guys. You see, people down at Dispatch don't appreciate so many demons running around, and that last confession is enough to convict Mr. Meyers over there for illegal soul harvesting."

"And," Grell continued, "between my own weapon and I there should be no problem taking you down, _Madam Black_." Grell held up his chainsaw, ready to strike. "Seeing as it's in bad health to underestimate a demon, though, my student here has her hands on the Gauntlet of Aries."

Jessi squirmed in her spot waiting for Grell to finish. Come on. Was it really that smart to speak so much to creatures that would just attack? She realized the vampire was pathetic and demons were supposed to be beings of honor and "the Contract", but it still seemed so stupid. Not being able to contain herself anymore, Jessi struck at Grell's pause, planting her armored fist directly into Austin's face. It drew blood from his nose, but he dodged in time for it to not do as much damage as expected. Jessi spun and swung for Austin again with her right hand while she swung with her scythe in the left.

Christina grabbed her by the hood of her black cloak. "You hurt my master. No one hurts my master." She held her fist back and hit Jessi so hard at her head that she skidded to where Grell and herself once stood.

Grell had, by that point, snuck up behind Christina and brought down his chainsaw. Christina held the roaring blade between her palms while Grell called out after the trainee. "That's what you get for trying to dress traditionally, Miss Comedian."

Thinking quickly, Christina threw Grell by his chainsaw and made him collide into Jessi. The power of Grell's Death Scythe was enough to break the Gauntlet of Aries. Jessi scooted away from the broken shards, terrified at the fact that a swirling violet vortex appeared, hovering dangerously close to them and sucking in random debris while growing larger by the second.

"Ahh!" Grell cried. "Look at what you made me do!"

The hopeless vampire still glued to him, Austin asked, "What? What is happening?"

He explained. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to destroy ancient artifacts? Aries was the first true God of War, worshipped by the Greeks. That Gauntlet contained the power to amplify your strength, speed, battle strategy … but apparently that wasn't enough to help you, was it, Jessi?"

The girl frowned and sank her shoulders in guilt.

Grell continued. "Aries, the arrogant show-off, is angry we broke his precious toy. Now a black hole is growing in the middle of the company building, sucking in everything."

Austin demanded, "How do we stop it?"

Angelica stood there, looking as terrified as ever. "Don't be naïve, Austin. There's never stopping a black hole. It'll just keep growing. We're all going to die like this."

Grell interrupted this. "Um, actually there is a way to stop it. Being the God of War, Aries loves it when people die. If someone were to sacrifice themselves, then I'm willing to bet it'll close."

"Throw Meyers in!" Jessi screamed. It was his fault, after all. He deserved it.

While Grell appeared pleased to hear these words from her, he had to let her down easily. "Unfortunately, human lives aren't worth that much these days. I mean, thousands of them die each day, so one more really isn't that impressive. If we want that thing to close, it has to either be a reaper, a vampire, or a demon. And before anyone says it should be me, I have seniority over all of you, so there."

Christina looked down to her feet. "I'll go in." The reapers seemed amused in that someone would volunteer so quickly, but no one spoke to stop her. She continued. "It's my duty to protect Master. And it was my fighting that broke the Gauntlet. There is no reason why I shouldn't go in. That is, unless my master were to command me not to."

A spark of hope dimmed to almost nothing when Austin did nothing but look on to her. Disappointed, Christina walked closer to the vortex, which had grown to the size of a person by that point. She looked back, snaking one more glance at her master. His demeanor did not change. He felt nothing for her, saw no reason to stop her demise. After all she had done for him. Christina had imagined that her lasts thoughts, should she die before him like this, would of never getting to taste the boy's soul. In reality, they were about the real reason why she had been so dutiful to him, despite her demonic nature.

The black hole was sucking in debris with such intensity that it was peeling the steel off the walls before Christina stepped into the vortex, never to be seen again. The black hole slowly closed itself. Before Grell and Jessi could notice anything, Austin Meyers and Angelica Tepes had both vanished. It seemed that the vampire had allowed for their mark's escape.

This called for a lot of paperwork.

* * *

><p>William had just finished reprimanding them. A prominent, juicy red vein was visible on his forehead as he panted at a loss of breath from the speech he just gave. Grell was standing at the man's side, clinging onto him and rubbing his shoulders and cooing into his ear for forgiveness. Jessi was by no means shaken by Mr. Spears at this point. She just looked at him, bored and disappointed.<p>

She had bent the rules to have an amazing adventure which was over after one battle. The two demons, who were legendary to those at Dispatch and the rest of the supernatural world, were gone before anything got heated. Her screw-up destroyed an artifact and created a black hole. The soul of Austin Meyers had escaped them. The only way to ever call what she had done a "victory" was to just say that she indirectly killed a demon, pretty much the only thing that kept Mr. Spears from _exploding_.

A few hours later, after everything had settled, Grell came to her later, moping in her assigned quarters. "Hello…"

"Hey." Her unenthusiastic response.

"Will just needs some more time to himself. Though, from what I can tell, he's very impressed with you."

Impressed? That was a laugh. "I destroyed the Gauntlet of Aries and let our marks get away."

He chuckled. "Oh come now, things like that happen. Especially when so many supernatural beings are involved. Even _I_ was thrown across the office by that demon girl. But the fact that you took the initiative to solve the case with me and led to the downfall of the demon girl … I think it may be enough to qualify you for regular field work."

Her eyes perked up. "You mean as a full-fledged reaper?"

He shook his head. "No no no, not quite yet. All trainees must complete their training and pass the final exam. That's the rules. But I think you'd be able to handle that and an extra field assignment or two."

"Yeah, you could totally take anything on with a few of us around to help."

Both of them jumped at that voice. Grell yelled, angered. "Ronald, what the hell are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Well, I figure I'm always down after Will goes on the whole stern routine with _me_. Wanted to know if Jessi wanted to head out with me and get her mind off of it." Ron smiled that genuine smile that made all the secretaries in the office swoon.

Grell grabbed him by the collar of his coat. "Ronald, you pedophile! I don't care if you _are_ immortal and 'can wait for her', that is just disgusting! I am not letting you do anything with my daughter!"

"Daughter?" she asked. Grell didn't seem like that bad of a motherly figure, aside from the love of murder, but wouldn't that subsequently make William her 'father'? Ugh, the thought sent a shiver down her spine.

At some point it seemed that Ron had backed out of the room. Grell wrapped his hands around her shoulders as any loving person would. He braided her hair as he explained to her. "Well, yes. I've always wanted children. There was always the option to adopt, but seeing as there are normally only humans to take there's no doubt I would outlive them. And it's so rare for a girl so young to be admitted as a trainee. And your files said that as a human you grew up without a mother. And you seem so bright and adventurous as well. Of course, I had always preferred the idea of carrying a child first and then giving birth to it … but the likelihood of that …" Depression swept across his features, then changed in an instant. "Yes, I shall be your new mommy!"

Jessi smiled as he finished braiding her hair. Though she didn't look forward to the talk with William about _this_, she always knew that Grell was somewhat nurturing towards her.

* * *

><p>"So the 'Banshees' are in hiding? What a bother. If they had only shown their faces then we could have hit two birds with one stone." Ciel drank his tea, his preferred drink through the ages, as he sat in his limousine watching men reconstruct his company's tower. "I'll have to track down both them <em>and<em> my company's leak."

Sebastian sat beside him, as apathetic yet charming as always. "It seems that Meyers had escaped the grasp of the reapers as well."

Ciel waved it off. "Without his assigned demon he is as powerless as any human. My instincts tell me he is no doubt getting what's coming to him."

The butler bowed his head to Phantomhive. "You are never wrong, My Lord."

* * *

><p>"So what now?" Angelica sat in the stairwell of Austin's home. He was pacing the floor, anger consuming him.<p>

"I'll have to think of some other way to get my revenge. Those cowards dare think themselves a successful mob!" He ran his fingers through his hair, almost pulling them out.

Angelica slunk down from the stairs. "You need to relax. You can get it done eventually. You can do anything. And until then … I want my boyfriend here with me."

He smirked, letting go of his anger for just a few moments. "It's nice to have someone who is willing to say that without being forced to. You're the real one who cares for me, aren't you?"

Angelica brought him in closer, embracing him firmly. "Oh, I always cared for you. But … there is _one _thing you should know."

"What's that?" he asked, snuggling into her shoulders which smelled lightly of lavender, relaxing him.

She whispered into his ears. "I have lived for hundreds of years. I may still be a teenage girl at heart, but that doesn't mean I'm as defenseless as one. Or that I don't know how to act."

As shocked as he was, Meyers couldn't move. With one bite, the vampire dug into his veins and drained him dry.


End file.
